“Choreographing the Voice as a Limp”
“Schizosomatics”
In the first week of the elective course titled “Choreographing the Voice as a Limp” guided by Irina Baldini and Emily Welther, we dived into the realms of sound, voice and imagination at the 4bid Gallery in the OT301 space in Amsterdam. During this week the elements of the ATE method (a method created by Irina Baldini) were introduced, offering a frame to delve into an exploration of the intricate journey of the voice from the internal world of the body to the external.
During the process, imagination was a key tool as we started generating strong images of our bodies and our organs, falling under a transformative experience as we started turning into “little monsters”. The process again was from inside towards the outside. I remember moving my organs outside of my body and letting them take different shapes and sizes, changing colors and of course creating sounds with their voices. I remember this vivid image landing slowly in my body, I was turning into that “little monster”, I was the one who was producing its voice. The course further moved into the sounds of the everyday world, we found ourselves wandering around the area of the gallery listening and recording various sounds of the city and endeavoring to replicate them using our voices. Technical equipment was also introduced, allowing us to manipulate and blend these recorded sounds, resulting in the creation of diverse soundscapes. On the last day of the week, we opened the space to the audience and we shared our exploration by blending all the components we encountered during the week. This small performance we gave was not prepared, we only took decisions and made a selection of the elements we would like to work with earlier that day by creating a score.
No preparation is also preparation, so long as it’s the
way you need to work right now. To arrive at the decision
to make no preparation is also an action that can focus
the mind.
(Burrows, 2010,55)
During the second week of the electives, we delved into the theories of Deleuze and Guattari and the practice of schizosomatics. This week, we had to present to the class our practice and research and highlight areas in which we find obstacles or we feel stuck. The presentation and the experience of every practice created the ground for an open discussion connected to the individual “issue” and potential problem-solving through feedback. way you need to work right now. To arrive at the decision
to make no preparation is also an action that can focus
the mind.
(Burrows, 2010,55)
Through the lens of the schizosomatics, we had the chance to approach our challenges through alternative perspectives. In connection to the theories of Deleuze and Guattari, we had the opportunity to “schizz” our practice/research, reframe the problematic area and then find a potential alternative solution. In my case, I was bringing with me the difficulty to articulate my research in an academic context even though the knowledge exist in my body. The difficulty lands to the point that I need to transfer it onto paper within the academia. I found a way to schizz the issue. I realized that music is a generating power for me to start writing (I still face struggle but music indeed improves the situation). This happened when I approached my practice through the entry point of music and sound. This realization led me back to the first week and the day we shared the process with some audience. At some point during the performance, I started generating an improvised text accompanied by soundscapes. After the performance a member of the audience asked me “What is the relationship between your texts and the sound?” this observation became a core point for further research.
In my research, I am looking for ways of collaborative decision-making during the process of creating devised theater performances. Non-hierarchical approaches are central points to this journey, both within the group but also within the elements that define the final piece. I believe that the theories and the practices I encountered during the two-week exploration resonate deeply with these research aims.
During the first week, the entire process, from the way it was organized to the material explored aligned with a non-hierarchical approach of working. Also, the collaborative nature of the practice and the fluidity of the creative process are connected to this approach. Our last small experiment, in particular, was designed through the lens of non-hierarchical decision-making where every voice was heard and every contribution was valued.
In the second week, I found connections with the concept of the rhizome, as introduced by Deleuze and Guattari in the book “ A Thousand Plateaus” (1980). Through the rhizomatic perspective, hierarchical structures and linear progressions are rejected. Instead, interconnectedness and open-endedness are embraced. There is no specific endpoint or just one way, fostering in this way the collaborative environment. This framework, I believe, can also, assist me navigate through the complexities of my project, where I am the one who initiates it but without turning into the director of the work.
By the end of these two weeks, I felt the need to be in the water again by bringing back my swimming background as an athlete. The element of water started feeling predominant as an aftermath of the last experiences.
I use here the water as a metaphor for fluidity, strength, resistance but no friction. This metaphor connects with my exploration regarding collaborative decision-making, highlighting the importance of flow and flexibility.
With a bit of luck, your collaborator can lift you out of those occasional moments of despair when one wrong turn causes you to believe that everything is lost. You in turn might offer them, from time to time, a little more perspective than they can manage alone.
(Burrows, 2010,59)
As I move on with my research journey, I welcome fluidity as guideline of inspiration and as a state of being through the process. I also embrace fluidity and the transformative potentiality that it embraces.
I recognize that engaging with these practices there might be some risk that I am still grappling with. There is the possibility to be consumed by these practices and perspectives to the point where the focus of my vision regarding my practice and research becomes blurry. Exploring new perspectives and putting new layers to the work is valid but there is always the risk of losing the core essence of the artistic inquiry. It is important to maintain a balance between those two.
Additionally, there is the risk that even though investing time and effort in these new processes is valuable, the materials that are generated may not align with the actual needs of the work in the end. It is important to keep in mind what the work truly needs and understand if the new materials generated contribute essentially to it.
As I reflect on these experiences, I am left wondering what might come next. I have not found a ground to land my thoughts on how the future will be.
.
I do see the circulation of things coming and leaving and then coming back again.
I do see the growth of the rhizom.
I embrace the mystery.
Bibliography:
Burrows, J. (2010). A choreographer’s handbook. Oxon: Routledge
Deleuze, G., & Guattari, F. (1987). A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. University of Minnesota Press.
By clicking on the image you can see my monster-organs and my thought lines swimming...
Video, pictures and drawings by Niki Christoforidou